China Anxiety: Deracializing Debates about Housing and Education

Abstract

Abstract The rise of China and the rapid expansion of its middle class are having far-reaching impacts around the world. In Australia all manner of economic, social, and political issues are now infused with an anxiety about Chinese influence. This article explores two arenas that have to date received less public attention: the role of Chinese migrants and Chinese capital in Australian housing and education. In Australia and elsewhere, there is growing competition for desirable places in both the housing and education markets. In this competition, “Chinese” individuals are often seen as being “too successful.” In housing, the “Chinese” are successful in making strategic real estate purchases. In education, Chinese migrants’ children dominate enrollments in high-performing selective schools, and perform disproportionately well in standardized tests. In both areas, public debates have included expressions of anxiety and resentment at “others” taking up valuable positions in these increasingly competitive markets. This article documents how the growth of new Chinese mobilities, in the form of people and capital, has been enabled by Australian government policies attempting to engage with a rising China. In the process, however, these new mobilities have generated anxieties about “locals” being left behind. These anxieties reflect larger-scale concerns about the shifting world order, with the Chinese ascension threatening the dominance of Western powers, as well as concerns about new class formations locally.